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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Republican governors across the U.S. have backed Texas in its escalating conflict with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement.
In a 5-4 vote on Monday, the Supreme Court sided with the administration by ruling that federal agents could—for now—resume cutting razor wire that Texas had installed along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. The installation of the concertina wire along the Rio Grande was among several aggressive measures Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken at the border in his efforts to stop migrants from entering the U.S. illegally.
In the days since the ruling, Texas has erected even more razor wire near the border. Abbott has said the fight is "not over" and praised Texas National Guard soldiers for continuing to "hold the line."
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In a statement Wednesday, the Republican governor said Texas has a constitutional "right to self-defense" and that the state is "acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border."
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"The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now," Abbott said. "President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them."
The Biden administration's failure to "fulfill the duties imposed by" Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution "has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, "which reserves to this State the right of self-defense," Abbott said.
"For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas's constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary," he said.
Newsweek has contacted Abbott's spokesman and the White House for comment via email.
Abbott's declaration prompted the Republican governors of Florida, Georgia, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Virginia to take to social media and express support for Texas. On X (formerly Twitter), the conservative Right Angle News Network shared a map of the U.S. highlighting the states that have publicly backed Abbott.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who ended his presidential run on Sunday, said in a post on X that Texas "is upholding the law while Biden is flouting it."
"If the Constitution really made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it wouldn't have been ratified in the first place and Texas would have never joined the union when it did," DeSantis wrote. He added that Florida would continue "assisting Texas with personnel and assets."
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said Abbott and Texas "have our full support."
"Enough is enough. Our southern border is in crisis thanks to the Biden administration's refusal to do their job," he wrote on X.
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte said Abbott "is doing what [Biden] won't."
He wrote on X that by "refusing to act, President Biden is inviting cartels, illegal drugs, and human trafficking into the United States."
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt wrote that Oklahoma "stands with Texas."
Praising Abbott, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said he is "exactly right to invoke Texas' constitutional authority to defend itself." She wrote that her state has been "proud to help" Abbott's "efforts to secure our border."
In Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin also took to social media and declared that his state "stands with Texas."
Abbott is "doing the job Joe Biden and his border czar refuse to do to secure our border," he wrote on X. "The Biden administration has turned every state to a border state."
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